The man was taken to a hospital where he was given laxatives, an unnamed police officer told the AFP news agency, according to the BBC.

The diamond's owner, named by the BBC's Charles Haviland as Suresh de Silva, said the swallowed stone may have been the fake one, and that tests would have to be carried out to confirm which one it was.

De Silva also said that the suspect had an accomplice who tried to create a distraction, the BBC reported. It was not immediately clear what the attempted distraction was.

According to de Silva, swallowing a diamond is dangerous because its point can damage a person's intestines, the BBC reported.

The Indian Ocean island is famed for its blue sapphires, diamonds and a jewelry industry that accounted for $532 million of its export revenue in 2011.

The AP reported that the jewelry exhibition where the incident took place was called Facets Sri Lanka 2012.